Home Cooked Goodness, Food Photography

Home made

Chocolate and strawberry bliss! My Mom’s “magical” jello popped into my mind. She used to make jello squares and pour heavy cream into the jello mix (including water); placed them in the refrigerator and a couple hours later, 2 tone jello… creamy on top and jello on the bottom. Our family and friends used to think it was pretty neat!

I love the color contrast! Poured into 4 stem glasses for a charming, Valentine style. It’s meant to share or not. Lol!

Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 cups of water and bring to medium heat. Place chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Put remaining heavy cream back in the refrigerator. Place bowl over the saucepan (bowl should not touch the water). Melt chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. I suggest medium low heat. Carefully remove bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool. Place egg whites in a separate medium/large bowl and whisk (you may use electric whisk) for 3 minutes until stiff peaks form. Place the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream into a third medium bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to fold half of the whipped cream into melted chocolate. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Thoroughly combine. Spoon mousse or pipe it from a pastry bag.

Cooked with love? …. in a large electrical pot. Lol. A little morning prep work, place everything into the cooker, clean up & set a timer. Go to work, run errands, play with the kids, your fur babies, exercise, go brunching or whatever your heart desires. Low & slow eight hours later, an amazing delicious meal that may look fancy but didn’t require much of your time. That’s what I call a wonderful dinner!

I have cooked this meal over the years with different ingredients, chuck vs rump, red wine vs no wine, worcestershire & Dr. Pepper soda at one point. My suggestion is try what you like …it’s all about your taste preference : )

Note: I make a bowl of mashed potatoes as well. My Mom used to include mashed potatoes with this meal and my Dad is the one who taught me how to make mashed potatoes.

Do you call it red sauce or gravy? Twirl or cut your pasta? As a teenager, I was invited to my boyfriend’s Nana’s home for dinner. We were all seated at the table and I began to cut the spaghetti with my fork & knife, Nana was not pleased! She scolded me — you should never cut spaghetti. That was the day I learned how to twirl spaghetti with a fork & spoon.

Between you and me, I use the spoon and fork twirling method while dining at restaurants or in a new social setting however, in the comfort of my home …. I do not.

To the first half of the mixture add melted chocolate and mix on low speed to combine then pour the filling over the crust then second half of the mixture carefully spoon over the top of the chocolate mixture

Place the cheesecakes in the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least one hour

To make chocolate topping:

In a medium saucepan stir together cream, chocolate and sugar on low heat until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.

Cool and pour over the cheesecake.

When the topping is set and cooled again run a thin knife around the sides and remove the springform pan sides.

To serve cut the cheesecake into slices using a sharp, thin, non-serrated knife. Drizzle chocolate sauce if desired.

Sunday dinner — Tiffani Thiessen’s Pull Up A Chair cookbook was a Christmas gift and apparently so was the ’tis the season cold I had last week. Huge ugh! Still slightly lingering around, Tiffani’s chicken and dumplings recipe sounded perfect. The chicken is succulent, quantity of flavors and a touch of dry sherry. Apparently recipes including alcohol is a recurring theme for me throughout 2018 and the New Year, Lol.

For the stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add the butter to the same pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, fennel and parsnip and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and when it releases its fragrance, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sherry and stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the pot. Add the broth and stir to combine.

Tie the thyme, parsley and bay leaves together with kitchen twine, drop the bundle into the broth and add the chicken, taking care to fully immerse it in the liquid. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Remove the bundle of herbs and discard. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and discard. Tear the meat into bite-size pieces. Using a skimmer or wide spoon, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce in the pot. Return the chicken and any drippings to the pot and bring the stew to a simmer.

For the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and pepper. Add the buttermilk, butter, thyme, parsley and dill and stir to form a thick, very sticky dough.

Using your hands, roll the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball. Drop the dough balls into the stew spaced about 1/4 inch apart. Cover and simmer over low heat until the dumplings are firm and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

As a kid, I used to help my Mom and Grandmom make chocolate chip cookies. We always looked forward to licking the beaters or spoon …. fast forward 30 plus years it’s highly recommended not to eat raw batter….Sigh. Cookie dough is super delicious! When my son was younger, of course he would help stir and pour chocolate chip morsels into the mixture. I’m grateful for the ‘believe in the magic’ memories from my son’s childhood. He always helped prepare milk and cookies on Christmas Eve for Santa too!

Mom and Grandmom would make Tollhouse cookie recipe. I used that recipe for years but eventually tried Crisco’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. Note: I replace one crisco stick with a regular stick of butter.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday and New Year! #milkandcookies #believeinthemagic

BEAT shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.